Extra! Extra! Americans Are Ignorant About the News

A new survey of 1,000 adults found that one-third admitted to pretending they knew about a news story to “impress someone else.”

That’s a figure that goes hand-in-hand with another finding: 56% say they know more about current events than their friends do.

Whether people are fibbing about how well-schooled they are with the news, people seem to believe staying on top of things is essential, with 68% claiming it can help their career, while 52% cop to making financial decisions based on information they got from the news.

Keeping abreast of the news may not only make you smarter, it also makes for a more spirited debate when talking to others. When it comes to debating the issues of the day, 49% said politics is their first topic of choice, followed by sports (32%), awards show results (13%) and fashion trends (12%).